Hackers Unlock the Box to swipe PS Vitas from Taco Bell

It’s always fun to be selected as the winner of a raffle or contest. But why let chance get involved when you can trick the system into declaring you the winner of an awesome prize like a PS Vita?

That’s exactly what seems to be going on with Taco Bell’s Unlock the Box promotion. Apparently a hacker who goes by the handle Sinister has successfully gamed the contest using a bot — the same one he or she had used earlier to compromise the Vita sign-up page. Sinister then shared his bot with other members of the ExploitN forums about a month ago, with several others then reporting that they, too, had become “winners.” Some actual winners then found that their codes had already been claimed, which caused Taco Bell to cry foul and blame the mix-up on technical glitches.

With more than 1.2 million units sold already, it’s becoming clear that the PS Vita is going to be a hit. Not everyone is willing to shell out the $250 to pick one up, of course, and some of those folks seem to have found a way to get one without having to open their wallets. While finding out how to get something for free can be a good thing, it’s too bad that these cheats screwed legitimate winners out of their prizes in the process.

Of course, Taco Bell probably should have made sure their contest code was up to snuff before flipping the switch…especially with all the hacking that’s been going on with regards to games. Taco Bell is in full lawyer mode now, stating that they’ll pursue “all legal remedies” and noting that defrauding a contest may violate criminal and civil codes.

Whatever the outcome, let’s hope they come up with a better solution for the jilted winners. Right now, Taco Bell is planning on a sort of “consolation draw” for these folks at a later date — which seems odd considering these people should have actually won a Vita.